1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to exercise equipment and, more specifically, to a bench press that can be transformed into a sofa.
2. Background Art
Developing a personal weight lifting routine has become more common today as the benefits of resistance exercises have become increasingly documented by specialists in the medical profession. Weight lifting has been shown to prevent the loss of bone mass as well as allowing one to enjoy a higher quality of life during later years. This is one of many factors that has contributed to the growing amount of exercise equipment that is found in homes today. Especially useful in developing muscle mass and preventing loss of bone mass is any exercise that stresses a major muscle group, such as the thighs, chest, or back. As such, the fact that the bench press primarily develops the chest muscles makes it particularly suited for obtaining health benefits.
While working out at home offers the advantages of convenience and privacy, space that can be used only for exercise equipment is limited. Thus, people who would otherwise purchase high quality exercise equipment elect instead to use a gymnasium. This has led manufacturers of exercise equipment to constantly work at developing new designs for equipment that is both functional, effective, but not overly burdensome in the amount of space used. Some equipment that has been developed is shown, by way of example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,220 to Kearney entitled Knock-Down Weight-Lifting Frame and Exercise System, U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,762 to Kaye entitled Convertible Workout Bench-Coffee Table, U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,547 to Sterling entitled Indoor Outdoor Exercise Chair, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,901 to Kulick entitled Collapsible Exercise Device.
While the bench presses of the contemporary art are a fundamental piece of weight lifting equipment for developing upper body mass and strength, the bench press takes up a significant amount of room in the home when it is not in use. This has reduced the number of consumers who have purchased bench presses for their home despite its advantages for developing one's overall physique. I believe it may be possible to improve on the art by providing a bench press that does not waste space when not in use. This would increase the demand for bench presses in the home and increase the market competitiveness of bench presses.